Daytime Urinary Problems in Children: Care Instructions

Your Care Instructions

Daytime accidental wetting is common in young children. It may be a normal part of your child's growth and development. Toilet-trained children may get so involved in play that they forget to go to the bathroom until it's too late. Or a child may have a medical problem, such as an infection or problem in the urinary tract. Emotional stress may also lead to daytime accidental wetting.

Treating the cause will usually stop the wetting. If stress is the cause, wetting often stops when you find ways to help your child ease the stress.

Frequent urination is common in children. It doesn't always mean that a child has a urinary problem. A child's bladder is small and doesn't hold as much urine as an adult's bladder. Your child may use the bathroom more simply from habit. Or it may happen because he or she drinks extra fluid or feels nervous. Irritation from a wet diaper can also cause frequent urination. So can contact with a chemical, such as soap or laundry detergent.

Pain while urinating and a need to go a lot can also mean your child has a urinary tract infection. If your child has an infection, you may find him or her trying to urinate more often than usual to soothe the pain. Increased urination or new daytime or nighttime wetting may also be a sign of a more serious problem, such as diabetes.

How can you care for your child at home?

• Encourage your child to go to the bathroom whenever he or she feels the urge.
• Praise your child for being dry. You may use hugs, stickers, or special treats as rewards.
• Be safe with medicines. Have your child take medicines exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you think your child is having a problem with his or her medicine.
• Don't make your child wear a diaper. That may make him or her feel like a baby. Wearing disposable underwear like Pull-Ups may help. But it may also make the problem last longer. This is because your child may have less reason to want to learn bladder control.

If your child delays going to the bathroom until he or she loses control and wets, there are some things you can try.

• Encourage your child to use the toilet. Do this when you notice signs that he or she may need to go. Your child may do things like squat, squirm, cross the legs, or stand very still.
• Offer more liquids to drink. Drinking more will increase how much urine is in the bladder. And this causes your child to need to go to the bathroom more often.
• Have your child go to the bathroom every hour during the day.
• Encourage your child to take extra time on the toilet. Doing this will make your child more likely to empty the bladder.